Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard: A New Era for the Milwaukee Bucks

It didn’t take long for Giannis Antetokounmpo to realize how different his NBA career would be playing alongside seven-time All-Star Damian Lillard. “I’ll be very honest, I’ve never been this open on the court,” Antetokounmpo said after the Bucks’ 108-97 win over the Lakers.

Lillard, acquired by the Bucks in a three-team deal with the Phoenix Suns and the Portland Trail Blazers, said that playing with a player like Antetokounmpo made the Lakers’ defensive schemes easy to digest. “Having another dominant guy out there makes everything easier,” Lillard said.

The duo officially logged their partnership with a Lillard assist on an Antetokounmpo dunk. “We’re going to have a lot of options,” Lillard said. “There will be times when he’s willing to make the play to me, and vice versa, as we saw today.”

Bucks coach Adrian Griffin was impressed with what he saw. “Today was a great first step in the right direction,” Griffin said. “You can see these guys already love playing together.”

Antetokounmpo praised Lillard as much for the person he is as he lauded him as a player. “I feel like it’s like a little version of me,” Antetokounmpo said. “A guard version… And when the game starts, he’s just a killer.”